ESA's biggest and most complex Earth Explorer mission yet is currently being tested for space at ESA's ESTEC Test Centre, the largest satellite test facility in Europe.

The Earth Cloud Aerosol and Radiation Explorer, EarthCARE, is equipped with two main instruments, a lidar plus radar - along with a smaller radiometer and cloud imager - which are powered in turn by this mammoth 11-m-long solar wing.

EarthCARE will fill a missing dimension in current climate change modelling: the role of clouds and aerosols in reflecting incoming solar radiation back out to space and trapping infrared radiation as it is emitted from Earth's surface. Is the net effect a heating or cooling of Earth's atmosphere?

Developed as a joint venture between ESA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA, the front of the van-sized EarthCARE satellite hosts its quartet of instruments with its solar wing deployed from its rear.

The satellite is set to undergo seven months of testing at the 3000 sq. m ESTEC Test Centre to check every aspect of its readiness for space, starting with a recent deployment test of its solar wing from stowed configuration.

Related Links
EarthCARE at ESA
Earth Observation News - Suppiliers, Technology and Application

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Tap into Europe in motion
Paris (ESA) Jul 27, 2022
Any movement beneath our feet - from barely perceptible subsidence to the sudden appearance of a sinkhole or a crashing landslide - spells big trouble. Even relatively modest subsidence can weaken buildings and infrastructure and lead to issues such as flooding, and at worst the abrupt disappearance of sections of land brings immediate threat to life. Monitoring and predicting our shifting land is clearly essential for adopting mitigating strategies. And now, thanks to Europe's environmental Coper ... read more